In a computer network that interconnects a number of devices, a management server collects inventory data from these devices. Inventory data indicates a list of software and other resources installed on an individual device, such as a terminal device, in a network. To collect such inventory data from a terminal device, the management server makes a request for inventory collection to the terminal device, for example. In response to the request, the terminal device detects what software is locally installed, for example, and then sends the detection result as inventory data to the management server. Such collected inventory data is used to monitor the current state for license management and security maintenance.
One example of techniques for managing devices over a network is to provide a user support server for providing proper troubleshooting and support promptly in the events of failures and setups of computers, installation of applications, and others. This user support server generates support information about user computers on the basis of configuration information of software and others of individual user computers and information about user inquiries.
Virtual machines may be under management. One example of techniques for managing virtual machines is to compare one or more files used for operating each virtual machine with one or more template files, and generate configuration information of the virtual machine on the basis of the comparison result.
Please see, for example, Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication Nos. 2004-005413 and 2012-203640.
Software is detected under detection conditions that are prepared in advance. For example, software that satisfies such detection conditions is judged to be installed. The detection conditions are manually set by a resource management vendor or administrators of the user system, for example. The detection conditions indicate criteria for detecting the presence of software on the basis of whether specific files exist or not, values of predetermined environment setting, or others.
Using detection conditions enables to detect the presence of software at high speed and low load, because what needs to be done is only to determine whether the detection conditions are satisfied or not. However, since the detection conditions are fixed, they do not follow software upgrades or changes in the operating environment of software, and therefore software may not be detected by the same software conditions as previously used. As a result, it is difficult to monitor the state of software installation accurately.